Guide bar swinging mechanism for a warp knitting machine

ABSTRACT

A WARP KNITTING MACHINE IN WHICH THE CARRIER ARMS FOR THE NEEDLE BAR ARE PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE SINKER-BAR ROCKING SHAFT, AND THE GUIDE BARS FOR THE YARN GUIDES ARE MOUNTED ON ONE ARM OF A TWO-ARMED LEVER WHOSE OTHER ARM IS ATTACHED TO THE SINKER-BAR ROCKING SHAFT BY A HINGED LINK. THE FULCRUM OF THE LEVER IS MOUNTED ON THE FREE END OF A RADIAL ARM FIXED ON THE GUIDE-BAR ROCKING SHAFT. THE TWO SHAFTS ARE REARWARDLY OFFSET FROM THE KNITTING NEEDLES AND THE YARN GUIDES, AND THE LEVER IS VERTICALLY INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE TWO SHAFTS.

United States Patent [56] References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS [72] InventorKarl Kohl Offenbacher Landstr. 20

lllinltadt (Main), Germany l mu mK M M m m4 wmmm Ar -PP nnunnn.

ABSTRACT: A warp knitting machine in which the carrier arms for theneedle bar are pivotally mounted on the sinkerbar rocking shafi, and theguide bars for the yarn guides are [54] FOR A mounted on one arm of atwo-anned lever whose other arm is 3 Cum 2 mm m attached to thesinker-bar rocking shaft by a hinged link. The

" fulcrum of the lever is mounted on the free end of a radial arm 66/86fixed on the guide-bar rocking shaft. The two shafts are rearwardlyoffset from the knitting needles and the yarn guides, 66/86 and thelever is vertically interposed between the two shafts.

m n M s11 lnt.Cl............... [so] PATENTEI] Juuzalsn INVENTOR 1 K/(RLMom. {By/M Ma y Asa/r GUIDE BAR SWINGING MECHANISM FOR A WARP KNITTINGMACHINE This invention relates to an improved guide-bar swingingmechanism for a warp knitting machine of the type in which the carrierarms for the needle bars are rotatably mounted on the sinker-bar rockingshaft.

The known warp knitting machine with the improvement of which thisinvention is concerned has been described in Warp Knitting Technology"by D. F. Paling (Columbine Press, Manchester, 2nd ed., 1965, pages l46,FIGS. l2, l4 and 18). The guide bars of the known machine arelongitudinally movable in a suspension system attached to a rockingshaft which is oscillated by a motion transmission train connected tothe main drive shaft of the machine. The rocking shaft is located nearthe longitudinal median plane of the guide bar assembly so that itobstructs access to the yarn guides by the yarn drawn from the beams. Itis necessary to guide the yarn in circuitous paths around the yarn-guiderocking shaft.

It has therefore been proposed to mount the yarn guide assembly on afour-pivot linkage which leaves the space above the guide barsunencumbered. This improvement is achieved at a sacrifice inaccessibility of the knitting area for repair and maintenance work, atleast one additional shaft running the width of the machine beingrequired for supporting the linkage in addition to the guide bar rockingshaft.

The object of the invention is a further improvement in the yarn guideswinging mechanism which avoids a multiplicity of shafts and associatedelements.

According to the instant invention, an ann fixedly fastened to theguide-bar rocking shaft has a free end, and a two-anned lever isfulcrumed on this free end. A link is pivotally connected to one arm ofthe lever and to the sinker-bar rocking shaft. The guide bars aremounted on the other arm of the lever, and the swinging movement of theguide bars is brought about by oscillating the guidebar rocking shaft ina basically conventional manner.

The arrangement outlined above pennits the guide-bar rocking shaft andthe sinker rocking shaft to be arranged one above the other and to berearwardly offset from the needles and the guide bars, the lever beingvertically interposed between the two shafts so as to occupy a minimumof otherwise useful space.

Other features and advantages of the invention will hereinafter becomemore fully apparent from the following description of the annexeddrawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment, and wherein:

FIG. I shows a warp knitting machine in fragmentary side elevation, andpartly in section; and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side-elevational view of the same machine takenin section in a plane spacedly parallel to that of FIG. 1.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, there is seen only as much of anotherwise conventional warp knitting machine as is needed for anunderstanding of this invention. The bearded needles 1 of the machineare mounted on a needle bar 2. The bar is fastened to several carrierarms 3 which are pivoted on the sinker-bar rocking shaft 4 of themachine, only one arm 3 being visible in FIG. 1. Push-rods 5 connect theseveral arms 3 to eccentrics on the main drive shaft of the machine in amanner well-known in itself and not illustrated.

The yarn guides 6 of the machine are mounted on guide bars 7longitudinally movable on one arm 8 of a two-armed lever. The fulcrum ofthe lever between its two arms 8, 9 is a ball bearing on the free end ofa radial arm 10 fixedly fastened to a guide-bar rocking shaft 12, theshafts 4, 12 being journaled in the knitting machine frame 25 onlypartly seen in the drawing. The two ends of a link 11 are respectivelyfastened to the lever arm 9 and to the sinker-bar rocking shaft 4'byantifriction bearings.

The guide-bar rocking shaftl2 is oscillated about its axis in abasically conventional manner by a fixedly fastened radial arm 13 linkedby a connecting rod 14 to the free end of an arm 15 pivoted on the frame25 by a gush-rod 16. The latter is moved in a substantially longitudinadirection by an eccentric on the aforementioned main drive shaft of themachine, not shown.

The sinkers 17 of the illustrated machine are mounted on a sinker bar 18which is linked to the sinker-rocking shaft 4 in a known manner, as ismore fully shown in FIG. 2. The sinker bar 18 is supported on severalcarrier arms 19 pivoted on the stationary sinker shaft 20. A push-rod 21is moved longitudinally by a nonillustrated eccentric on the main driveshaft of the machine. It is hingedly fastened to a radial arm 22 fixedon the sinker-bar rocking shaft 4. Another radial arm 23 on thelast-mentioned shaft is connected with the carrier arm 19 by a hingedlink 24.

The sinker-bar rocking shaft 4 thus not only supports the carrier arms 3for the needlebar 2 but also constitutes one of the pivots in thefour-pivot linkage which swings the guide bars 7.

I claim:

1. In a warp knitting machine having a frame, a sinker-bar rocking shaftjournaled in said frame, a sinker-bar mechanism for oscillating saidshaft, avsinker bar movably mounted on said frame and connected to saidshaft for movement thereby, a plurality of guide bars, a guide-barsuspension carrying said guide bars, and a guide-bar swinging mechanismconnected to said suspension for swinging said guide bars forward andbackward, the improvement in the guide-bar suspension which comprises:

a. a guide-bar rocking shaft journaled in said frame;

b. an arm fixedly fastened to said guide-bar rocker shaft and having afree end spaced from said last-mentioned shaft;

c. a two-armed lever fulcrumed on said free end; and

d. a link pivotally connected to one arm of said lever and to saidsinker-bar rocking shaft,

1. said guide bars being mounted on the other arm of said lever, and

2. said guide-bar swinging mechanism including means for oscillatingsaid guide-bar rocking shaft.

2. In a machine as set forth in claim I, said shafts being offset fromsaid guide bars in the direction of backward swinging motion of thelatter and being spaced from each other transversely of said direction,said lever being interposed between said shafts.

3. In a machine as set forth in claim 2, a carrier arm pivotally mountedon said rocking shaft, a needle bar mounted on said carrier arm, and aneedle bar mechanism linked to said carrier arm for pivoting the same.

